The present invention generally relates to file management methods, file display methods and storage mediums, and more particularly to a file management method and a file display method which make a browser display a file having a frame structure made up of a plurality of windows, and to a computer-readable storage medium which stores a program for causing a computer to display a file by such a file management method or a file display method.
By requesting a file from a client by a uniform resource locator (URL) to a web (WWW) server which is connected to the internet, it is possible to display a desired file by browsing. In other words, it is possible to read a home page and to display the home page at the client, and such an operation is frequently performed. The browser which is used for the browsing may support a frame function or may not support the frame function.
The browser which supports the frame function can read and display a file having a frame structure made up of a plurality of windows. On the other hand, the browser which does not support the frame function can read and display a file having a non-frame structure, but cannot read and display a file having the frame structure.
Accordingly, at the server which provides the home page, it is necessary to prepare a file having the frame structure and a file having the non-frame structure, so that the home page can be read by the browser having the frame function and by the browser which does not support the frame function.
FIGS. 1A and 1B are diagrams for explaining conventional file structures. FIG. 1A shows a file having the frame structure, and FIG. 1B shows a file having the non-frame structure. In FIG. 1A, the file having the frame structure is divided into four windows window0 through window3 having the following structure. In the description given hereinafter, xe2x80x9cindex.htmlxe2x80x9d indicates an index file which sets the frame structure and specifies the non-frame.
Conventionally, a hyper text markup language (HTML) file having the frame structure is created, and a HTML file having the non-frame structure is newly created in addition although the contents are the same as those of the HTML file having the frame structure. For example, the main menu and the content of each table of contents, that is, the main menu and the content of each table of contents with the same contents as those of the HTML file having the frame structure are newly created in a non-frame tag part in addition to window2.html and window3.html described above.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a list of a conventional index file index.html with respect to the file structures shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. In FIG. 2, a list part 500 defines the HTML file having the frame structure shown in FIG. 1A, and a list part 501 defines the HTML file having the non-frame structure shown in FIG. 1B. As shown in FIG. 2, in the non-frame tag part of the list part. 501, the main menu and the content of each table of contents of the HTML file having the frame structure, that is, the main menu and the content of each table of contents with the same contents as those of the HTML file having the frame structure, are newly created in addition to window2.html and window3.html described above.
Therefore, in order to enable reading of the home page by both the browser which supports the frame function and the browser which does not support the frame function, the same main menu and the same table of contents must be created separately for the HTML file having the frame structure and the HTML file having the non-frame structure. As a result, it is necessary to manage two kinds of HTML files with the same menu and the same table of contents, and there was a problem in that the file management is complex.
On the other hand, when creating the same main menu and the same table of contents independently with respect to the HTML file having the frame structure and the HTML file having the non-frame structure, it is necessary to correct an error if an error is generated in one of the HTML file having the frame structure and the HTML file having the non-frame structure. However, when the error is not noticed or the correction of the error is incorrect, the contents of the home page become different between the HTML file having the frame structure and the HTML file having the non-frame structure, even though the contents of the home page must be the same. In such a case, there is a problem in that it is impossible to provide correct information of the home page to the users.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a novel and useful file management method, file display method and storage medium, in which the problems described above are eliminated.
Another and more specific object of the present invention is to provide a file management method, file display method and storage medium, which can simplify the file management by eliminating the need to manage two kinds of files, and guarantee the contents of the home page to be identical regardless of whether the home page is read by a browser which supports the frame function or a browser which does not support the frame function.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a file management method for displaying an index file having a frame structure made up of a plurality of windows by a browser which does not support a frame function, comprising the steps of (a) specifying, as a base target, at least one specific window within the index file, and (b) including contents of the specific window in a non-frame tag part of the index file. According to the file management method of the present invention, it is unnecessary to manage two kinds of files, and the file management can be simplified. In addition, it is possible to guarantee that the contents of the home page are identical regardless of whether the home page is read by a browser which supports the frame function or a browser which does not support the frame function.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a file display method for displaying an index file having a frame structure made up of a plurality of windows by a browser which does not support a frame function, wherein at least one specific window within the index file is specified as a base target, and the file display method comprises the steps of (a) reading contents of the specific window by a non-frame tag part of the index file using an include function, and displaying the contents of the specific window in a non-frame format. According to the file display method of the present invention, it is unnecessary to manage two kinds of files, and the file management can be simplified. In addition, it is possible to guarantee that the contents of the home page are identical regardless of whether the home page is read by a browser which supports the frame function or a browser which does not support the frame function.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a file display method for displaying an index file having a frame structure made up of a plurality of windows by a browser which supports a frame function, wherein at least one specific window within the index file is specified as a base target, and the file display method comprises the steps of (a) reading contents of the specific window by a non-frame tag part of the index file using an include function, and (b) arbitrary switching a display to display the contents of the specific window in a non-frame format or to display the index file in the frame format. According to the file display method of the present invention, it is possible to make the display in the non-frame format depending on the resolution, size and the like of the screen of the display unit.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a computer-readable storage medium which stores a program for causing a computer to manage files by displaying an index file having a frame structure made up of a plurality of windows by a browser which does not support a frame function, comprising means for causing the computer to specify, as a base target, at least one specific window within the index file, and means for causing the computer to include contents of the specific window in a non-frame tag part of the index file. According to the computer-readable storage medium of the present invention, it is unnecessary to manage two kinds of files, and the file management can be simplified. In addition, it is possible to guarantee that the contents of the home page are identical regardless of whether the home page is read by a browser which supports the frame function or a browser which does not support the frame function.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a computer-readable storage medium which stores a program for causing a computer to display an index file having a frame structure made up of a plurality of windows by a browser which does not support a frame function, wherein at least one specific window within the index file is specified as a base target, the computer-readable storage medium comprising means for causing the computer to read contents of the specific window by a non-frame tag part of the index file using an include function, and display the contents of the specific window in a non-frame format. According to the computer-readable storage medium of the present invention, it is unnecessary to manage two kinds of files, and the file management can be simplified. In addition, it is possible to guarantee that the contents of the home page are identical regardless of whether the home page is read by a browser which supports the frame function or a browser which does not support the frame function.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a computer-readable storage medium which stores a program for causing a computer to display an index file having a frame structure made up of a plurality of windows by a browser which supports a frame function, wherein at least one specific window within the index file is specified as a base target, and the computer-readable storage medium comprises means for causing the computer to read contents of the specific window by a non-frame tag part of the index file using an include function, and means for causing the computer to arbitrary switch a display to display the contents of the specific window in a non-frame format or to display the index file in the frame format. According to the computer-readable storage medium of the present invention, it is possible to make the display in the non-frame format depending on the resolution, size and the like of the screen of the display unit.